TIRUCHY: Farmers staged a series of demonstrations in over 20 places across the Cauvery delta region on Wednesday for immediate disbursal of crop insurance claims and warned of besieged protests in all the collectorates in the region on October 22.

Speaking to reporters, PR Pandian, president of the Coordination Committee of All Farmers Associations who led the protest in Nagapattinam, said, “Both Centre and State governments allocate around Rs 5,000 crore to the private insurance firms with the premium participation of the farmers. However, both the State and Centre maintain unusual silence whenever the farmers face heavy losses due to unusual weather conditions.”

He added that several protests to release the insurance went in vain, which prompted yesterday’s series of demonstrations in 20 places in Cuddalore, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam districts to emphasise their demand and insist the governments take action.

He appealed to both governments to support the farmers instead of insurance firms and help them get crop insurance claims. “If the government fails to fulfil our demands, we find no other option but to amplify the protests. We will wait till October 22. If the demands are not met, we will lay siege to the collectorates of the districts in the delta region,” he said.